Incat Tasmania to Build Six Sydney Harbour Ferries

Incat Tasmania’s Hobart Shipyard has been awarded a contract to build six new ferries to operate on Sydney’s Inner Harbour.

The new vessel exterior is a traditional design to look similar to the Sydney First Fleet vessels, however, the 35 metre, 400 passenger boats have greater capacity than the current fleet.

New South Wales Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance said: ”These are the first new vessels in the Sydney Ferries fleet since 2001, and are a major step forward in the NSW Government’s plans to modernise and expand the ferry network.”

The Sydney Ferries will service commuter and tourist travel on the inner harbour routes from Watsons Bay in Sydney’s east to Cockatoo Island in the west, stopping at the new Barangaroo wharf.

The Incat team’s first task is to take the concept design to detailed construction drawings and vessel models, with construction of the first ferry to start early in 2016. The six will be delivered progressively from late 2016 and throughout 2017.

”This is a great opportunity for Incat’s highly skilled and experienced workforce to participate in the construction of ferries for the iconic Sydney fleet. An order such as this, where six identical vessels are to be built, is welcomed by the existing staff and provides an excellent opportunity for training new personnel,” Incat Tasmania shipyard’s Managing Director Simon Carter said.